The 2010 Banknote of the Year

The 2009 Banknote of the Year

Awarded 2010INTERNATIONAL BANK NOTE SOCIETY CHOOSES

Bermuda Monetary Authority - 2 Dollars

The 2008 Banknote of the Year

Awarded 2009INTERNATIONAL BANK NOTE SOCIETY CHOOSES

SAMOAN Banknote

After reviewing government banknote issues worldwide last year, the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) has selected their Banknote of the Year from among the many countries that issued new currency designs in 2008. This year, the International Bank Note Society’s Board of Directors has chosen as the most attractive new issue of 2008, the Central Bank of Samoa’s 20 Tala note. Samoa’s 20 Tala banknote beat eight other banknotes nominated by IBNS members, two of which were also from the Pacific region.
With striking, eye-catching yellow and gold colours and bold and innovative security devices, the 20 Tala note easily eclipsed its competition in the views of the IBNS judges. The judges liked the Central Bank’s emphasis on tourism, achieved by highlighting one of the nation’s picturesque waterfalls—a refreshing departure from the standard practice of portraying famous persons on paper money. The reverse design was also praised for featuring Samoa’s national bird, the Manumea, and the national flower, the Teuila; the two symbolizing the uniqueness of Samoa’s natural environment.
Sharing the spotlight with the Central Bank of Samoa is the designer and printer of the banknote, UK-based De La Rue Currency, one of the world’s foremost producers of paper money and securities. De La Rue’s creative blend of state-of-the-art security features and design elements maintains its long tradition of superior banknote design and printing, significantly adding to the appeal of the 20 Tala banknote, according to the IBNS Board.
The International Bank Note Society is proud to commend the Central Bank of Samoa and De La Rue for producing and issuing the 2009 Banknote of the Year.

PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

The 2007 Banknote of the Year

Awarded 2008INTERNATIONAL BANK NOTE SOCIETY CHOOSES

SCOTLAND £50

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) is delighted to announce that the Bank of Scotland’s 50-pound note has been awarded the Society’s Bank Note of the Year for a bank note issued in 2007.
In a ceremony today in the Bank’s Edinburgh Head Office, representatives of the IBNS presented certificates and medals marking this award to Graeme Donald, Head of Industry and Products, Payment Services at HBOS plc, the parent company of Bank of Scotland plc; and Stuart Rost, Banknote Designer at De La Rue Currency.
The IBNS judges considered the 50-pound note to be a bold design and an outstanding representative of the new series of notes issued by the Bank of Scotland in September 2007. Dominating the note is an ethereal portrait of Sir Walter Scott giving the note an intriguing ambiance considering the range of traditional and modern features on the note. Sir Walter has appeared on many notes issued by the Bank of Scotland, but this is the first representation of Scott based on the famous portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn, painted in 1822. The innovative depiction of Scott is one aspect of the note that found favour with the judges.
Blessed with generous proportions, the note is impressive to hold and uses the available space to excellent effect. The front of the note has been designed around Scott’s portrait and incorporates a range of security features, the most evident of which are a hologram on a foil patch and a wide micro-printed security thread with colour shifting effect (red to green). These elements create a framework around which are images of the Bank’s historic headquarters in Edinburgh, its coat of arms, the Bank of Scotland’s logo and, very much subordinated to the dominating portrait of Scott, the promissory text. In contrast to this, the denomination numerals are set out in dramatically bold fashion using a clean simple font style.
The back of the note is if anything even more dramatic. It features one of Scotland’s most exciting contemporary engineering and architectural achievements, the Falkirk Wheel. The minimal text, again in bold and simple style, serves to enhance the drama of the central feature, to hugely impressive effect.
Contributing to the judges’ decision was the combination of traditional skills and modern technology used by the note’s designers, De La Rue Currency – especially the fact that the portrait engraving was produced using computer generated patterns and was not hand-engraved in the traditional way.
The 50-pound note was a clear winner in this year’s competition, impressing the judges with its artistic and technical excellence, its unusual and innovative design and its superior production. The IBNS congratulates Bank of Scotland plc and De La Rue Currency on their outstanding achievement.
18th April 2008